Vt. Health says state among tops in breast feeding

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Health Department says the state is among the tops in the country for new mothers who breast feeding their children.

The state says the Breastfeeding Report Card published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed is one of four states to exceed 2020 breast feeding goals.

The report card showed Vermont women breastfeed their babies at rates well above the national average.

The report says that 90 percent of births at Vermont hospitals include skin-to-skin contact in which the just-born baby is placed into the mother’s arms, an important first step to successful nursing. Only New Hampshire was higher, at 90.5 percent.

The health department’s Dr. Breena Holmes says breastfeeding is the most nutritious way to way to feed a baby.